Joseph S. Mack was a Democratic member of the Michigan Senate, representing much of the Upper Peninsula from 1967 to 1990. Born to a mining family, Mack was one of 10 children. After graduating high school, Mack attended the Milwaukee Vocational School and studied steel fabrication. He worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II. Mack returned to Ironwood in 1946 and began his involvement in politics. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress in 1956 and 1958. Mack died April 20, 2005, aged 85.